The Stranger Within
by Yumemakura
Summary: This short story was written for Christmas Prompt; "The Stranger" given at 'Alexander's Army'.


A/N: This was written for a Christmas prompt; 'The Stranger'. Happy holidays, everyone!

**The Stranger Within**

How could they? That was the first question that came to Alexander's mind. How could they stop here? Did they not realize that there was more glory to be won? Those soldiers of Macedon now openly complained and voiced their desire to go home. Alexander did not understand. They could go home anytime, but the world did not wait.

Earlier in the evening, even his seasoned and most trusted generals pleaded to Alexander to turn around and go home. Hephaistion was the only one who stood in the corner, and kept his silence. Alexander was annoyed, and thought for a moment to have his page bring him wine to calm his nerves, but he changed his mind and stepped outside of the tent instead.

The shouting of a few drunken soldiers shot through the night air at a distance, but the majority of the men in camp were deep in sleep. The cool breezes soothed his heated body. The sky was clear with thousands of twinkling stars and the full moon was high above the firmament. The gentle blue silver rays exposed the pathway to the brook at the edge of the camp.

The dull crashing noises of pebbles under his feet sounded louder in the absolute silence. Alexander stopped for a moment wondering if he actually heard something else in the air. When he listened tentatively into the night, he heard soft sobs travelling along with the gentle murmuring of a stream. Inquiringly, Alexander started to walk towards the sound, questioning who might be out here so late at night.

He was rather surprised to see a young boy sitting on a rock sheltered behind a low shrub by the riverbank. Rays of the moon shone onto the boy's cheeks that were streaked with tears, his pale face under fine blond locks gave an illusion of almost floating in the dark. The boy looked no older than seven or eight. His face looked familiar to Alexander, so he assumed that the boy was a son of one of the followers. He must have seen him somewhere in the camp.

"What are you doing here, and where are your parents?"

Alexander asked the boy with a soft voice trying not to startle him. The boy did not directly answer Alexander's question, but murmured between sobs without looking at Alexander.

"I cannot find him."

"Find who?"

The boy bowed his head deeper towards to his chest.

"My friend. " The boy sobbed again, but took a deep breath, and continued.

"I was so caught up with chasing the shooting star, I did not realize he was gone. I was sure that my friend was right behind me, but when I looked back, he was not there any more."

The boy heaved with sobs again.

Alexander did no know how to calm him down, but what he was sure of was that he could not leave the little boy by himself here in the middle of nowhere, especially this late at night. His parents would surely panic if they found that their precious son was missing.

"Come. I will take you to your parents. Where are you staying?"

"I have to find him." The boy shook his head.

Alexander gave in to the boy's stubbornness, and sighed.

"All right, I will help you to find your friend. But if we cannot find him by the time the moon goes above that tree, then you have to take me to your parents."

Alexander tried to reason with the boy, and pointed to the tree far to the west. The boy's face immediately brightened up, and he nodded vigorously.

Alexander took the boy's little soft hand into his. It was cold; the boy must have been out here for a long time. They walked along the brook not knowing where to start. However, the boy looked content, and pulled Alexander forward with an eagerness making him hastens his steps. They walked for a couple of miles, but the little boy's friend was nowhere in sight.

"Maybe, your friend had already gone home. Why don't we turn around to find out if he is home?"

"No, he will never go home without me. He must have been lost, and wandering around. I should have waited."

The boy's determined voice replied to Alexander before turning into sobs again. When Alexander was just about to protest, the boy yelled in delight.

"There he is!"

With this, he let go of Alexander's hand, and rushed into the dark.

Alexander could not see anything for a moment, but when he stared into the darkness toward to the direction where the boy ran, he saw the silhouettes of two figures, one of a child who was running towards him, and the other of a slender adult.

Alexander gasped in shock when he realized that the slender silhouette before him was Hephaistion. Alexander could now see that Hephaistion's eyes were wide and fixed onto him and equally as dazed.

However, Alexander was even more astonished when he actually paid attention to the other boy. He looked exactly like Hephaistion when he was little. He had the same soft chestnut colored hair with blue sparkling eyes. When he looked back at Hephaistion again, Alexander understood that Hephaistion was seeing the same on the boy who guided him here. It was Alexander when he was a little boy.

The two boys met half way, and crushed each other's bodies in tight embrace. Children's clear and joyful laughter broke the silence. Soft lights gathered around them, and formed a sphere to envelop young Alexander and Hephaistion. Their faces were shining with blissful delight. The sight brought them a happy memory of their childhood when they needed nothing but each other.

The intensity of the glow of the sphere increased, and then, they were gone into thin air. They had disappeared into the night just like a fading dream.

"It was my past who brought me here. He was so afraid that he had lost you."

Alexander murmured as he closed the gap between them, his eyes were shining with overwhelming emotions.

"So was my past." Hephaistion's trembling voice replied. "He brought me here, too. He told me that he became tired of following you, and when he stopped for a moment, you were already gone to the place where he could not reach any more."

Alexander gathered Hephaistion tightly in his arms, and whispered into his ear.

"I did not realize that I came this far … too far. Let us go home Hephaistion. The world exists eternally, but our time together will not last forever."

Alexander felt Hephaistion nod against his cheek that was moist with mingled cleansing tears of both Alexander and Hephaistion. They parted just enough to make an obsessive kiss, before molding into each other again. They were grateful for this precious gift that was given to them by their past, and longed to cherish it freely without regrets.

End


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